Jalil Lespert offers a new adaptation of the play by Feydeau, who is this time transposed in the 1960s. Despite this change of era, the plot of this classic of the theatre of the boulevard is unchanged: Pontagnac (Guillaume Gallienne) falls in love with a certain Win (Alice Pol), who turns out to be the wife of Vatelin (Dany Boon), a loyal friend of Pontagnac. All the ingredients of vaudeville are met: the doors slam, the lovers hiding in the closets and misunderstandings are linked together.
But the pace of this adaptation is far from equal, infernal, of the work of Feydeau. The author, whose “the room, with the precision worthy of a swiss clock, normally causes the viewer into a whirlwind of mishaps, misunderstandings and other upsets brilliant”, is ridiculed considers Le Figaro . According to First, the film is “unable to locate at any time the tempo, the humor, the irony, the subtle music of the original text”.
Anachronisms
The choice of the director to change the time in which unfolds the plot confounds the critics. For Le Figaro, “it transposes in the 1960s – it is unclear why – and with a shovel for a pie – I can see how”. As Jalil Lespert merely adapt the sets and costumes. Yet, according to the First, to lead his bias, he would have had to “rewrite it in depth some situations, and particularly the female characters, whose reactions often seem anachronistic.
The sixties saw the feminist movement gain momentum. However, far from modernizing Feydeau, the choice of Lespert imprisons men and women in stereotyped roles. “Especially not to see the work-mistress, which will impose the pope of vaudeville in the century of #MeToo”, ” sliding the Voice of The North. The opportunity to season this Turkey of references to the contemporary is missed. “By wanting to rejuvenate The Turkey, it ringardise, it poussiérise”, according to First.
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the Voice of The North welcomes nevertheless the efforts made by the actors, who would be able to return to the force inherent in the piece. “The priority is the fantasy on a spring, in which actors trained to bring the energy that they would deploy the same way on the boards,” writes the daily. For Wide-Screen, the actors are “excellent”. But the Inrockuptibles do not allow themselves to convince and qualify the actors of”extravagantly theatrical”. Le Figaro drives the point home: “the characters flowing of air without causing the slightest laugh.” Guillaume Gallienne “indifferent”, Dany Boon “comes out of it as he can,” and Alice Pol “raises the standard” both good and bad.
most critics argue, therefore, that this Turkey is far too warm. Wide Screen says: “if Turkey is not a great film, enjoy it as a nice little tidbit between two heartier dishes”. It is not necessary to expect a adaptationde the top flight, but fans of vaudeville could find their account. “We have already played Feydeau at the Comédie-Française but this Turkey -there is more to the public parts of boulevard Sunday afternoon,” according to the Voice of The North .
